Union threat over Calderdale budget vote

Staff at a Yorkshire council are threatening to turn a political row over its budget into an industrial dispute if councillors approve controversial measures tonight.
Halifax Town HallHalifax Town Hall
Halifax Town Hall

Members of the Unison trade union, which represents around half of the Calderdale Council workforce, have promised to fight “tooth and nail” against any attempt to change their working conditions.

Calderdale councillors are due to consider the authority’s budget for the year ahead tonight with the opposition Liberal Democrat and Conservative groups uniting to impose a budget on the minority Labour administration.

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The joint Lib Dem-Tory budget includes proposals to stop paying council staff for the first three days they are off sick.

Coun Stephen Baines.Coun Stephen Baines.
Coun Stephen Baines.

Unison branch secretary Ted Ashman described the measure as “cruel and counterproductive”.

He said: “There has been no consultation with the public that these parties were elected to represent, and absolutely none with Unison.

“It is simply wrong to ignore our views and those of our members who we all rely on to deliver essential services every working day of their lives.”

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The union said one of the major causes of illness was the extra workload imposed on staff as a result of job losses in the council as the authority deals with falling Government grants.

Mr Ashman also expressed concern that many of the staff affected would be women on low pay and changes to sick pay could cause hardship to families.

He added: “For all of these reasons, Unison will fight tooth and nail against these plans and we believe the people of Calderdale, when they know what is being done in their name, will give us their full support.”

The Conservative-Lib Dem budget would also reward staff who do not take sick leave during the year with an additional day of holiday.

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Conservative group leader Stephen Baines said: “There has been a lack of action against the amount of sick leave which goes on within the council.

Calderdale Council has an average of 9.1 days for each employee. In the private sector the average is nearer five days.”

Calderdale has a history of no single party having a majority of council seats so amendments to the budgets put forward by minority administrations is common.

However, last week the Conservative and Lib Dem groups sprang a surprise by going a step further and unveiling a jointly agreed comprehensive package of budget measures.

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The Lib Dems and Conservatives together hold 28 seats on the council compared to Labour’s 21 with a further two held by independents.

If Conservative and Lib Dem councillors vote together as planned tonight they will be able to impose their budget on the Labour administration.

Labour councillors could be forced into a choice between walking away from running the authority or implementing measures they do not support.

Council leader Tim Swift said last week that the joint budget put forward by the opposition groups had put the authority in “unchartered territory”.

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Both Labour’s and the Tory-Lib Dem budgets would see council tax bills frozen for the year ahead.

The Tory-Lib Dem budget includes proposals to reverse some of the new and increased car parking charges in the district, funding Christmas decorations and creating £5,000 pots for each ward.

Ideas for saving money include higher charging for replacement bins, cutting three unfilled posts from the authority’s planning department and reducing transport costs.